Snowboard Cross World Cup race resumes in Erzurum

After the break for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup returns this weekend with two races in Erzurum, Türkiye.

Erzurum hosted its first World Cup since 2018 last season, with the course and resort attracting compliments from riders. Both men and women will race for crucial World Cup points on Friday and Sunday. Racing planned for Saturday has been moved forwards due to a forecast snowstorm.

Bankes and Baff lead women’s standings

The women’s Crystal Globe race is headed by two Olympic champions: Mixed Team gold medallist Charlotte Bankes (GBR) comes to Erzurum with a slender four-point advantage over women’s Olympic champion Josie Baff (AUS).

Bankes took a win and third place in Dongbeiya, China, in January, to put herself on top of the standings after finishing ninth in Cervinia in the season opener. She finished 13th in the individual event at the Olympic Games, but bounced back to claim gold in the Mixed Team event alongside Huw Nightingale (GBR).

Baff continues to showcase consistency, with third place in Cervinia and second and fifth in Dongbeiya coming before her triumph in Livigno in February. Racing with Adam Lambert (AUS), Baff was also fourth in the team event at the Olympic Games.

The rest of the field is tightly packed behind Bankes and Baff. Three French riders feature in the current top six ahead of Erzurum: Julia Nirani-Pereira is third, just eight points behind Baff, while Chloe Trespeuch sits in fifth place and last year’s Crystal Globe winner Lea Casta is sixth. Casta took the win in Cervinia, and Nirani-Pereira won in Dongbeiya on day two for only her second World Cup victory.

World champion and Olympic silver medallist Michela Moioli (ITA) is currently fourth and is always likely to feature at the business end of the racing.

In Erzurum last season, Bankes took the win ahead of Casta and Baff.

Ulbricht hyped for Erzurum return

Three different men have won the three World Cup races so far this season. Jonas Chollet (FRA) took the opening win in Cervinia; Jakob Dusek (AUT) won the first race in Dongbeiya; and Adam Lambert stood on top of the podium on day two in China.

Lambert’s strong showing this season puts him top of the standings with 220 points after a stellar start to the 2025/26 season. He is some way clear of Milano Cortina silver medallist Eliot Grondin (CAN) in second place; Grondin is not competing in Erzurum.

Last year’s winner in Türkiye, Leon Ulbricht (GER), starts the weekend in ninth place overall, following a challenging start to the season with fifth place in Cervinia his best World Cup finish.

Ulbricht is not letting the results so far get him down, however.

“This season I’m proud of my riding so far. I think I had a good riding performance – training times, qualification times and everything – but I just haven’t had the right day in competition,” he says.

Ulbricht is enjoying the depth of competition this season.

“There’s a lot of good riders and every one of them can win a race. That makes it even harder to have a good result in competition, but I’m looking forward to make it. It’s a good change too because seasons before it was somehow Eliot dominating the whole World Cup bubble; like this it’s more exciting for everyone,” he adds.

The 21-year-old’s win in Erzurum last year was his second World Cup victory in his short career and he now has a total of four podium finishes. Ulbricht says he is looking forward to racing in Türkiye once more.

“I’m really hyped to go back to Erzurum. I’m super excited for the whole ski resort, Palandöken, because it was fun last time. The resort’s nice to ride and also the track from last year was quite challenging,” he concludes.

Racing begins in Erzurum on Friday 6 March with qualification from 10:00 local time (08:00 CET). Finals will take place from 12:30 local time (10:30 CET).

A second round of qualification takes place on Sunday 8 March from 10:00 local time (08:00 CET), followed by the finals, beginning at 12:00 local time.

QUICK LINKS

• Race Calendar

• Erzurum Stats Preview

• Start Lists / Results - Erzurum, TUR

• 2025-26 Men's Cup Standings

• 2025-26 Women's Cup Standings